Layne

Opened that stone green tea last night. Def nails the green tea aspect in the flavor. The nose is very floral and fruity.

I enjoyed but wouldn't choose it over a nice fresh dipa.

I got a single of habanero sculpin at specs and it was too much. I don't think I finished the bottle.

Lone Pint has been bottling YR since September. Sadly they don't bottle date and mosaic hops fall off like no other. Not a big prob in Houston though bc bottles sell fast. I still stick to growler fills though.

When I'm in Austin I'll stop by WF, HEB, East 1st Grocery. That "flag store" shell has a decent selection but their prices are stupid high.

I agree about fuck Florida... CCB has some great beers though. Hai alai ipa is always great. And CCB has a brewpub in the Tampa airport lol!

^ gotta disagree that grapefruit > original.  it's good but the fruit is so strong and masks the perfect hop profile of sculpin.  that said, I'm kinda picky about sculpin being fresh and want it within a few weeks of bottling... that shit falls off HARD.

TPR950H - JK is supposedly working on a 5th batch of atrial right now and I think they put something on BA about it releasing in the next few months.

herpsky - they did re-release gotlandsdricka about a month ago (see their blog).  and new funk metal is always popping up at random places around Houston.... also always seem to have new bottles when I go to the brewery.  I missed fen tao but that release was apparently crazy... dudes wearing costumes to get back in line for a second bottle.  pass & provisions in Houston did a beer dinner with JK a few weeks ago and it was as good as any I've been too.  if you haven't tried noble king since they added souring bacteria pick some up because it's gotten SO much better than the old version.

I really like what Hops & Grain outta Austin is doing lately.  Their year round stuff is solid and they don't seem to be jumping on the hype train of barrel aging every beer and selling it for $20-30.  Also that Heavy Machinery DIPA from ABW is one of my favorite beers to come outta Texas... wish that shit would be canned year-round.

Final Note:  fresh Yellow Rose is the best beer that's been made in Texas.  Yes, I'd put it over Atrial.

Grabbed these at Jester King today.

I'm very lucky to live near such an awesome brewery.

I enjoyed World's Worst Twin.  I wouldn't immediately say coffee but I get what they were going for.  I kinda picked up some fresh tobacco notes on the nose but it could just be me.

Natural Union was interesting to say the least... I could never drink more than 4-6 oz of it.  On draft, the spice level was too much.  All I could think was herb roasted chicken when I put my nose in the glass.  Maybe the bottled version will be more balanced.

Snorkel is quite good too - crushable as a TX summer beer.  I thought Figlet was kinda MEH though.  Didn't really pick up much smoke or figs... just seemed like a kinda bland JK sour with the Franklin's name attached to it.

The crowds were pretty crazy on Saturday but we got there just after 11AM and had a good spot in line.  Luckily the weather was perfect.  First time I've been back since they released batch #4 of Atrial.  Sadly, I haven't gotten to try Fen Tao, Colour Five or Biere de Blanc du Bois.

started and finished the affair.  it was slow at first but def gained momentum and i enjoyed it.

season 2 of the fall was solid too.

I've had the flu since NYE and marathoned the fuck outta scandal on Netflix... started as guilty pleasure and now i can't stop.

surly - what JK do you have?  Brewery exclusives or shelf stuff?  I missed out on fen tao and colour 5 and would like to try.  Most of the other stuff I've had or can get in Houston.

TPR950H - I'd be interested in stuff from southern CA... fresh Alpine IPAs are always nice.  I've used nothing but bubble wrap and tape for packaging trades all year long and haven't had one issue.  Dude needs to step his wrapping game up!

I got an angry letter from HBO and my internet provider for downloading the first couple eps of Banshee.  Needless to say, I'm kinda behind on the series.

My girlfriend loves Nashville and somehow doesn't think Gotham is bad... so I'm very current on both.

ALSO WHO'S PUMPED FOR NEWSROOM?!?

^ I got like 3-4 eps into last season of boardwalk and gave up... shit was impossible to watch.

gotham is definitely corny but the cast is decent.  I always love rawls from the wire.

started happy valley last night.  very impressed so far.

side note... feel kinda ridic having subtitles on an English show but the main lady's accent is so strong and she talks way too fast.

pumped that rectify is back and esp since there's more than 6 episodes

halt and catch fire can't hold my attention for shit.  I don't care about any of the characters, the one-liners are awful, and it just seems boring as fuck tbh

No talk of this season of Shameless but I enjoyed it.

And agree with the folks above that Hannibal is excellent.

first ep of hannibal was great, but the show moving to friday nights worries me.  yeah, i realize so many people use dvr, etc now but the move def isn't a good thing.

trade as in send each other beer? yea i'm down. lots of decent craft beers here in atx i could do a nice package. how does it work though how do they not shatter into oblivion in transit

the larger Spec's in your area or wine stores should sell 6 or 12 bottle styrofoam shippers.  be advised that many 750 ml bottles, esp ones with a cork+cage, are too big for some pre-built shippers.  worst case - buy a box and a bunch of bubble wrap and you should be good... i often put electrical tape around the caps as a second line of defense.

i prefer fedex over ups.  don't use usps cuz it's illegal to ship alcohol through them.

i would say count me in but i already have too much beer and i'm in houston so we basically have the same market.

yes, hannibal is heavy handed at times but IMO it's one of the better shows to premier in 2013.  the fact that it's on nbc impresses me even more.  also, mads mikkelsen kills it.

that said - i really enjoyed true detective and will def keep watching.  i thought the chemistry between woody and matthew was pretty solid too.

had no idea tnt cancelled southland back in may.  kinda sucks cuz it's such an underrated show imo.

last minute trip to NYC for those "surprise" arcade fire shows this weekend... pretty pumped about it.

homeland started back?!  my tv game is seriously slacking as of late.  so behind on boardwalk and haven't seen any of the new always sunny or the league.

seriously y'all... stop watching walking dead as a drama and start watching as a comedy.  it becomes much more entertaining.

Sometimes I start to think I'm a decent person and then I see another human being wearing Pyrex shorts and I immediately want to end their life.

^ please don't reject my opinion - i'm a great person and i'm sure we could be friends irl.

that said i've only watched ep1 of boardwalk this season.  i've got the others on computer and will report back later with awesome reviews.

_{^ is that mustache real life?}

ahhh thank you Layne, I had forgotten how incredible Ben Frost is. I have had him on repeat all day. 

 

Which collab albums are you talking about??

sorry jack, just saw this post.

he's got a bunch of collab albums, stuff for random plays... shit like that.  check his webpage  or wiki for the names (i can't remember &/or spell them all).

^^ earlier in the summer i listened to aphex twin nonstop as well.

really wish i could find some of those ben frost collab albums.

orange is the new black is great y'all

i'm enjoying it but i cringe every time jason biggs appears.  i was super worried after the first ep when i thought he was gonna be on all the time... glad he basically only appears for prison visits and random scenes.